We made it through a day without TV. We’re all alive. My kids are still speaking to me. There were no major tantrums. We did it.

I think I might even try it again.

OK, first comes the disclaimer. When I say we didn’t watch TV all day, I mean day. I don’t mean night and I don’t mean morning. I mean day. I know, I know. Some of you ban TV entirely or reserve it for special nights. I thought I would be one of those mothers.

Before I had kids, it seemed like a no brainer. Of course toddlers shouldn’t watch TV, I thought. Didn’t parents know, I wondered, that watching too much TV caused kids to become overweight and have trouble focusing? I was determined that my kids wouldn’t spend their days glued to the TV.

Well, wouldn’t you know, sometime around my 4-year-old son’s first birthday I changed my ways. I just needed Guillermo to be supervised while I dried my hair and got ready for work in the morning and PBS Kids was willing, even eager, to help. Anyway, I watched Sesame Street growing up and I came out OK.    

Besides that lapse, my husband and I were pretty good about not letting him watch too much TV for awhile, but that changed at some point, and I’m not sure when.  

Now, we still use television as a crutch in the morning so we can get ourselves ready for the day when we should just get up earlier or encourage our kids to entertain themselves without the TV. Last summer, we somehow fell into the habit of allowing Guillermo to watch 15 to 20 minutes of a video before we read him books and tucked him in for the night. And, a few times a week, I flip on the TV to entertain Guillermo when I need a couple minutes of peace to get his 2-year-old sister, Maya, down for a nap.

But, enough. I decided this week we were going to reduce the amount of TV both kids watched. The first act: Cut TV during the day. Guillermo is old enough to occupy himself quietly while I get Maya down to sleep. I can ignore Maya’s constant pleas for Dora. She’s young enough. She’ll soon forget what she’s missing.

On our first day of no daytime TV watching, Guillermo whined but I sent him to look at books. He ignored my suggestion but found the Playmobil catalog he loves to color in and got to work. Later, he went to his room to play LEGOs. He also listened to a book on tape. As for Maya, I just told her “No Dora,” and then listened to her cry for a bit. She got over it.

The week got easier, but I’ll admit my father-in-law was here part of the time and did a lot of entertaining. Next week when he’s gone will be a real test, especially if I enact phase two and cancel the morning show. The third part of my plan calls for the elimination of the before-bed viewing period. It won’t be enough in my family to just follow the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics that kids watch no more than one or two hours of TV a day. We’ll get rid of TV altogether.

Wait a minute. No TV? That’s crazy talk.

My goal is this. On a typical day, Guillermo and Maya will get to watch just one of their favorite 30-minute shows. The bags under my eyes will be darker I’m sure, but my conscious will be clear.  

Natalie appears every Sunday on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Natalie at A Day at the Park.